A hanging paper tapestry, a rust-coloured plinth featuring six small-scale craft objects in bronze, enamel and wood.

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Crafts CouncilDiversity and inclusion

Resources

Our ever-evolving database of reports, books and media offering practical guidance to support a more inclusive sector

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Projected artwork at We Listen, a Young Craft Citizens event in the Crafts Council gallery

Toolkit for Change

Crafts Council has made a commitment to inclusive and equitable practices as a core part of our work. We created Toolkit for Change to guide our own work; we share it with the craft community to help makers and organisations supporting them in this work.

Toolkit for Change has been developed in partnership with Craft UK and Equity Advisory Council (EAC), a group of individuals with a shared passion for equity in craft, convened by Crafts Council. It contains practical guidance to help organisations of all sizes become more inclusive, aiming to embed anti-racist and equitable practice into all organisation structures that make up the craft community.

Toolkit for Change FAQs

  • October half-term participation workshop for families in the Crafts Council Gallery.JPG
    Family workshop participants learning about 3D design over half-term
  • Young Craft Citizens take over the gallery space for Black History Month
    Young Craft Citizens panel discussion in the Crafts Council gallery for Black History Month. Left to right: Tyreis Holder, Aliyah Hasinah, Joke Amusan, Khadija Niang, Stella Kajombo. Photo: Jessica Pierre-Ross
Toolkit for Change resources

Reading list

Our ever-evolving database of useful links, books and media has been carefully compiled by Chinelo L. Njaka, a founding member of the Equity Advisory Council (EAC).

The full Reading List, featuring 140 carefully selected recommendations, is available to download in the Toolkit for Change resources section above. Below are some highlights handpicked by Rafaela Ricardo, our former equity and inclusion manager.

Books

  • The Clapback: Your Guide to Calling Out Racist Stereotypes
    Elijah Lawal
    This book examines the evolution of negative stereotypes towards the Black community and arms you with the tools to shut them down once and for all. Taking readers on a journey through history, and providing facts and detailed research, this is an eye-opening and refreshing look at race and language.
  • Beloved
    Toni Morrison
    The story of Sethe, an escaped enslaved woman who is still not free while she grapples to heal past traumas and memories.
  • Homegoing
    Yaa Gyasi
    A breath taking story that traces three hundred years in Ghana whilst delivering unforgettable characters and along the way becoming a truly great US American novel.

Podcasts

Websites

  • The White Pube
    A collaborative identity between Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad, who write about art, video games, and food. The duo campaign for better working conditions, fair spaces, and more transparency across the creative sector.
  • Black Arts Forum (BAF)
    BAF comprises of Black artists and arts organisations committed to supporting the development of Black arts across the West Midland. The collective support individuals and organisations to make their work more visible, promote activity and establish more Black leaders in the arts.
  • Black Cultural Archives
    The national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain.

Guide to Inclusive Conversations

Our Guide to Inclusive Conversations will help empower you to have inclusive and supportive conversations about race and racism. It is designed to give you:

  • Confidence and knowledge in having conversations about race and racism in the workplace and outside of work
  • A breakdown of what the language means – its history, why it is used and by who and how to apply it
  • An understanding of how racism can exist within craft organisation and the wider crafts sector
  • Helpful resources and places to go to continue learning about anti-racism and other related topics

Read more